Phase 1 Implementation
Whole Class Encouragement
On April 21st, I implemented my lesson on participation and encouraged all students to voice their ideas with the class. The purpose of this session was to establish expectations the class and I would like to uphold and to let the students know that I appreciate when they share their ideas.
When the class period first started, I explained that the purpose of the day was to discuss our observations of current participation and to establish guidelines for what we would like to see in the classroom. I shared the data I gathered from the Four Corners activity from my needs assessment, that approximately 60% of the class voiced their ideas at least once with the whole class. I also said that from my observations for past whole groups discussions, that percentage seemed fairly consistent. The final thought I shared was that I did not want to impose my ideas of participation on the students, and would prefer to hear what students had to say on the matter.
After I shared these thoughts, we arranged our chairs in a circle and read the article, "Stutterer Speaks Up in Class; His Professor Says Keep Quiet," by Richard Perez-Pena. Before we began reading, I explained my usual expectations for reading aloud. Students could read anything from one sentence to two paragraphs, or if they preferred to listen to say "pass." As usual, all students chose to read at least one sentence, but more often chose to read two paragraphs.
Once we had read the article, I asked students to return to their seats and respond to the following questions on the back of the article:
After students had a chance to write a response for each question, students shared their responses in small groups of three to four students, which I had assigned. During this discussion, particularly the responses shared for #3, I learned a lot about students' past participation experiences. One of the students who regularly participates said looking back, he may have sometimes silenced others "not on purpose" when he talked with his friends instead of listened politely. Another student shared her experience in third grade of being encouraged not to talk because she was an English Language Learner. Her group shared their astonishment and anger.
After students discussed with their small groups, I explained that I would like our classroom to be a place where students feel comfortable participating, rather than how the student in the article felt. I asked the class to share out what they wrote for the fourth question: "What particular comments or body language made them feel this way [ignored, cut off, belittled, or afraid to speak]". After we brainstormed these negative behaviors, we created a list of what students' behavior should look like when another student is speaking and why. I made that list into a poster which hangs in the room.
In addition to this list of behaviors, I also asked students whether they thought participation should be a requirement of the course. One of my three focus students raised her hand and said that she thought participation should be voluntary, that the student should have the right to speak or to listen. A student who usually participates raised his hand and responded to my focus group student's statement. He said that he agreed, but that discussions were awkward when only a few students spoke. Quiet and more outspoken students shared their opinions on this issue, and although many students had reasons for and against, we finally settled that participation should be voluntary.
Afterwards, when I asked students informally how the class period went, one student said that she had a lot to say about participation and it was "nice to talk about it." Another student said that she had done similar activities in a lot of their classes, but that it was always good to revisit those issues and that the article was interesting. I took both of these students' opinions to be indicators that for the most part, this lesson was well-spent to improve the classroom culture and to set expectations for participation.
When the class period first started, I explained that the purpose of the day was to discuss our observations of current participation and to establish guidelines for what we would like to see in the classroom. I shared the data I gathered from the Four Corners activity from my needs assessment, that approximately 60% of the class voiced their ideas at least once with the whole class. I also said that from my observations for past whole groups discussions, that percentage seemed fairly consistent. The final thought I shared was that I did not want to impose my ideas of participation on the students, and would prefer to hear what students had to say on the matter.
After I shared these thoughts, we arranged our chairs in a circle and read the article, "Stutterer Speaks Up in Class; His Professor Says Keep Quiet," by Richard Perez-Pena. Before we began reading, I explained my usual expectations for reading aloud. Students could read anything from one sentence to two paragraphs, or if they preferred to listen to say "pass." As usual, all students chose to read at least one sentence, but more often chose to read two paragraphs.
Once we had read the article, I asked students to return to their seats and respond to the following questions on the back of the article:
- “But advocates for people who stutter say that the same people who accept a delay in a bus ride to load a disabled passenger are often less patient with those who struggle to speak clearly.” Why do you think our culture places such a strong emphasis on speaking clearly?
- Most of you are about the same age as Philip. What would you do and how would you feel if the teacher asked you to refrain from speaking in the class?
- In what situations have you seen others silenced (ignored, cut off, belittled, or afraid to speak) in the classroom?
- What particular comments or body language made them feel this way?
After students had a chance to write a response for each question, students shared their responses in small groups of three to four students, which I had assigned. During this discussion, particularly the responses shared for #3, I learned a lot about students' past participation experiences. One of the students who regularly participates said looking back, he may have sometimes silenced others "not on purpose" when he talked with his friends instead of listened politely. Another student shared her experience in third grade of being encouraged not to talk because she was an English Language Learner. Her group shared their astonishment and anger.
After students discussed with their small groups, I explained that I would like our classroom to be a place where students feel comfortable participating, rather than how the student in the article felt. I asked the class to share out what they wrote for the fourth question: "What particular comments or body language made them feel this way [ignored, cut off, belittled, or afraid to speak]". After we brainstormed these negative behaviors, we created a list of what students' behavior should look like when another student is speaking and why. I made that list into a poster which hangs in the room.
In addition to this list of behaviors, I also asked students whether they thought participation should be a requirement of the course. One of my three focus students raised her hand and said that she thought participation should be voluntary, that the student should have the right to speak or to listen. A student who usually participates raised his hand and responded to my focus group student's statement. He said that he agreed, but that discussions were awkward when only a few students spoke. Quiet and more outspoken students shared their opinions on this issue, and although many students had reasons for and against, we finally settled that participation should be voluntary.
Afterwards, when I asked students informally how the class period went, one student said that she had a lot to say about participation and it was "nice to talk about it." Another student said that she had done similar activities in a lot of their classes, but that it was always good to revisit those issues and that the article was interesting. I took both of these students' opinions to be indicators that for the most part, this lesson was well-spent to improve the classroom culture and to set expectations for participation.
Teacher-to-student Encouragement
After we had our initial class discussion on participation, I met with each of my three focus students to encourage them to voice their opinions. For each of the student conferences, I followed the same format. I first explained that I valued their voices. I then took out a piece of their writing and highlighted areas that I thought were particularly insightful. Then, I asked the students what they thought about their current participation and why they don't typically share. I would end the meeting by explaining that I would like to see them push themselves to participate more in tomorrow's small group discussion, and reiterating that I have appreciated their thoughtfulness this year. After I encouraged each student, I observed their participation in a small group discussion to see whether their participation changed.
On April 29th, I encouraged the first student. She walked into the classroom early, and so I welcomed her and asked if I could talk to her for a minute. I brought out her paper, praised her for a specific passage from her paper, and encouraged her to participate more. I also praised her for the suggestion she offered in front of the whole class the day before (when I asked "What should I do now," while I was modeling an interview with a student, she said, "I think you should ask him what success looks like to him by asking a lot about the career he wants because the interview is supposed to be about success") This comment surprised me because I hadn't seen her raise her hand before. When I told her I would like to hear more comments like that, she said politely that she would try. During her small group discussion, she participated twice, which was the same amount as the first small group discussion.
I praised the second student on the same day, April 29th, during our break between the first half of the class and the second. Like the first student, she participate twice in her small group discussion, which was the same amount as the first small group discussion.
On May 5th, I encouraged the third student in the same way as the first two. When I asked him what he thought of his current participation, he said that he talks more in small groups because he feels more comfortable, and doesn't volunteer in whole groups. In order for him to share in large groups, he said, "You just need to call on me." I said that I could do that, but I would also like him to push himself to get his ideas out there. When I asked this student his goals for participation he said he would like to participate five to seven times in small groups. I thought those were pretty lofty goals, but I did not share that thought with him. Instead, I praised him for having such high goals for himself. The next day during his small group discussion he did not share his opinion with his small group. In my observation notebook, I wrote some ideas on why this occurred:
"Maybe he felt uncomfortable. He seemed more uncomfortable than usual in his small group. His shoulders were more rigid than usual and his face seemed flushed. One reason for this could have been that he arrived late to my class due to a orthodontist appointment. The conversation seemed to have already started when he arrived to class. Or, maybe yesterday's conversation put too much pressure on him."
On April 29th, I encouraged the first student. She walked into the classroom early, and so I welcomed her and asked if I could talk to her for a minute. I brought out her paper, praised her for a specific passage from her paper, and encouraged her to participate more. I also praised her for the suggestion she offered in front of the whole class the day before (when I asked "What should I do now," while I was modeling an interview with a student, she said, "I think you should ask him what success looks like to him by asking a lot about the career he wants because the interview is supposed to be about success") This comment surprised me because I hadn't seen her raise her hand before. When I told her I would like to hear more comments like that, she said politely that she would try. During her small group discussion, she participated twice, which was the same amount as the first small group discussion.
I praised the second student on the same day, April 29th, during our break between the first half of the class and the second. Like the first student, she participate twice in her small group discussion, which was the same amount as the first small group discussion.
On May 5th, I encouraged the third student in the same way as the first two. When I asked him what he thought of his current participation, he said that he talks more in small groups because he feels more comfortable, and doesn't volunteer in whole groups. In order for him to share in large groups, he said, "You just need to call on me." I said that I could do that, but I would also like him to push himself to get his ideas out there. When I asked this student his goals for participation he said he would like to participate five to seven times in small groups. I thought those were pretty lofty goals, but I did not share that thought with him. Instead, I praised him for having such high goals for himself. The next day during his small group discussion he did not share his opinion with his small group. In my observation notebook, I wrote some ideas on why this occurred:
"Maybe he felt uncomfortable. He seemed more uncomfortable than usual in his small group. His shoulders were more rigid than usual and his face seemed flushed. One reason for this could have been that he arrived late to my class due to a orthodontist appointment. The conversation seemed to have already started when he arrived to class. Or, maybe yesterday's conversation put too much pressure on him."
Student-to-student Encouragement
On each day that we had small group discussions, I asked students to complete a feedback form on their participation. The final question on this feedback form asked, "During the discussion, write down one comment a student shared that enhanced the discussion. Why do you think this made the discussion richer?" The purpose of this question was to have students share what they wrote with the student they wrote about as a form of encouragement.
The first time the students completed the feedback form, I collected them and did not ask students to share what they wrote for this question. I wanted to make sure that students were writing appropriate comments before asking them share with other students. All of the responses I received were appropriate, and so the next day I asked permission from certain students to share their responses with the whole class. I shared students' responses that I thought were especially kind and specific. When I looked up at the students' faces after reading each of the students' encouraging words, I saw students who were listening intently and smiling. One student who was the subject of the encouraging words emailed me afterwards and said how much she appreciated that I read the student's response aloud.
Because students took the question seriously the first time, I did not feel the need to look over the questions before asking students to share the second time. Immediately after the students filled out the feedback form, I asked the students to share their response to #4 with the student they wrote about. I gave students about two minutes to do this. Once two minutes had passed, I asked for students to share out with the whole class what they heard or what they wrote. One student mentioned one of the students from my focus group. He said that this student made a comment about the challenges in trying to get in-depth answers when interviewing a person. He said that this comment made the conversation richer because "it made us all think about what else could get an in-depth answer." After all students shared, I felt happier and the students seemed happier as well.
The third time students filled out the feedback form, they did the same as before: they shared with their peer, and then shared out with the whole group what they had said or heard. Once again, I observed the mood of the class to be a little brighter after this activity. This change in attitude suggested to me that this activity did improve the classroom environment, at least immediately after the activity.
The first time the students completed the feedback form, I collected them and did not ask students to share what they wrote for this question. I wanted to make sure that students were writing appropriate comments before asking them share with other students. All of the responses I received were appropriate, and so the next day I asked permission from certain students to share their responses with the whole class. I shared students' responses that I thought were especially kind and specific. When I looked up at the students' faces after reading each of the students' encouraging words, I saw students who were listening intently and smiling. One student who was the subject of the encouraging words emailed me afterwards and said how much she appreciated that I read the student's response aloud.
Because students took the question seriously the first time, I did not feel the need to look over the questions before asking students to share the second time. Immediately after the students filled out the feedback form, I asked the students to share their response to #4 with the student they wrote about. I gave students about two minutes to do this. Once two minutes had passed, I asked for students to share out with the whole class what they heard or what they wrote. One student mentioned one of the students from my focus group. He said that this student made a comment about the challenges in trying to get in-depth answers when interviewing a person. He said that this comment made the conversation richer because "it made us all think about what else could get an in-depth answer." After all students shared, I felt happier and the students seemed happier as well.
The third time students filled out the feedback form, they did the same as before: they shared with their peer, and then shared out with the whole group what they had said or heard. Once again, I observed the mood of the class to be a little brighter after this activity. This change in attitude suggested to me that this activity did improve the classroom environment, at least immediately after the activity.
Final Discussion and feedback
On May 16th, I conducted a final small group discussion on the project the students had recently completed, and I asked students to fill out a final feedback form on their participation. In addition to the questions I asked previously, I also asked the following two questions:
- Do you think that sharing what comment you thought "enhanced the discussion" (sharing your response to question #4 with your group members) encourages students to participate more? Why or why not?
- What do you think about our classroom environment? Do you feel like your opinion will ALWAYS be respected? Why or why not?